# Grouping movie/game soundtracks (style proposal)
**URL:** https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210
**Category:** Style
**Tags:** films, soundtracks, videogames, styleguide-proposal, style
**Created:** [March 16, 2023, 2:12am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210 "2023-03-16T02:12:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aerozol](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/aerozol)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 2:12am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210/1 "2023-03-16T02:12:42Z")
See relevant discussion [here](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/when-to-merge-rgs-soundtracks-scores-of-different-nature-for-the-same-film-game/619127)
I propose, based on the discussion linked above, that we update the [Soundtrack style](https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Style/Specific_types_of_releases/Soundtrack) (changes in italics):
* * *
### Release Group
Film scores (which showcase the background music of a film/show) should not be merged with pop soundtracks (albums of pop songs heard in whole or part in the background of a film/show).
- examples…
Alternate-language releases in which each release contains new recordings for its language should each be in separate release groups.
- examples…
_Releases representative of the same movie, TV series, stage show, video game, or other medium, that contain the same core recordings should be merged. This does not include curated selections (consider artist/label intent), samplers, or releases that come in different volumes._
- _[Troy](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/3753c950-3504-324f-9725-a905ba334d63) - expanded with extra tracks and new track titles, the same core recordings_
- _[Dodgeball](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/4b946704-b664-31e8-8cc1-98397e74e6f4) - bootlegs with different tracklistings, pulled from the same video/recordings_
- _[Silent Hill 2](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/96467903-beb1-36e9-abd8-2b8127a68c84) - official and bootleg releases, using the same core recordings_
- _[Animal Crossing: New Leaf](https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/afa797a0-c61b-4175-831e-3d4d52bb2f6d) - bootlegs with different tracklistings, pulled from the same game/recordings_
* * *
And we also update this bulletpoint list in the [Release Group doc](https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Style/Release_Group#What_should_be_grouped_together.3F) doc (changes in italics):
* * *
## What should be grouped together?
Release groups should be used to group variations of the same release. The following are examples of things which should normally be grouped together in the same release group:
- The original release
- Releases in different countries
- Releases on different formats
- Special/limited editions
- Re-issues
- Remasters
- Promotional versions
- Pirated versions
- Pseudo-releases
- Different bootleg recordings of the same concert
- _Releases representative of the same video/game recordings (not including curated selections)_
* * *
---
### Author:  [@yindesu](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/yindesu)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210/2 "2023-03-16T03:12:40Z")
Italics is not an obvious way to highlight changes to the existing guideline.
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### Author:  [@yindesu](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/yindesu)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210/3 "2023-03-16T03:28:45Z")
> [@aerozol](#):
>
> And we also add this bulletpoint list in [Release Group What\_should\_be\_grouped\_together](https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Style/Release_Group#What_should_be_grouped_together.3F) doc:
>
> - Releases representative of the same video/game recordings (not including curated selections)
I would not add a soundtrack-specific bullet point to [What\_should\_be\_grouped\_together](https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Style/Release_Group#What_should_be_grouped_together.3F) without also adding the missing soundtrack-specific bullet points to [What\_should\_not\_be\_grouped\_together](https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Style/Release_Group#What_should_not_be_grouped_together.3F):
> - Film scores (which showcase the background music of a film/show) should not be merged with pop soundtracks (albums of pop songs heard in whole or part in the background of a film/show), as these are not variations of the same release.
> - Soundtracks where the main songs have been re-recorded in a different language should each be in separate release groups.
When I’ve asked for generic Style guides to mention or link to more specific Style guides in the past, it’s been rejected - [and that was soundtrack-specific](https://tickets.metabrainz.org/browse/STYLE-1868). Therefore, I’m skeptical that any of these soundtrack-specific bullet points belong on this page… and if they do, then the Work contradiction definitely belongs.
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### Author:  [@aerozol](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/aerozol)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210/4 "2023-03-16T04:43:12Z")
There is already a bullet point for ‘Different bootleg recordings of the same concert’, even though that has a page of its own. So it seems this particular list intends to offers a quick summary of all docs. But the style lead will decide in the end, anyway.
The ‘what not to group’ list on that page seems much less exhaustive… I would consider it more obvious to not group things that don’t share a original recording (different languages + scores and soundtracks), than to group things that have been ‘format-shifted’ (game rip of the same original recordings as a official soundtrack), which has been debated for a long time.
If we went for an entry in the ‘don’t group’ list perhaps we could broaden it to:
- _Releases with entirely different recordings (including re-recorded albums or translated songs)_
I’m not too fussed if it doesn’t make it into that list tbh. It was suggested in the linked discussion at the top 👍
edit: having another browse through the guidelines and I can see why we don’t want to mention every exception/‘specific type of release’ guideline in the main guidelines… it would really bloat them. Maybe if that bullet point could be made to be broader? “_releases representative of the same product + same recordings_”?..
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### Author:  [@jesus2099](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/jesus2099)
#### Post date: [March 17, 2023, 6:53am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210/5 "2023-03-17T06:53:43Z")
The two sentences before italic clearly say _should not be merged_ and _should each be in separate release groups_, but the paragraph in italic seems to be an incomplete sentence with no verbs saying if we want to say _merge/same_ or _separate_.
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### Author:  [@aerozol](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/aerozol)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2023, 4:16am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/grouping-movie-game-soundtracks-style-proposal/628210/6 "2023-03-18T04:16:52Z")
Thanks for the catch @jesus2099! I have added a “should be merged” to the pargraph.
p.s. [I’m not sure if we have true consensus on this yet](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/when-to-merge-rgs-soundtracks-scores-of-different-nature-for-the-same-film-game/619127/34). It might be that @reosarevok just has to make a call, some day.
Because I want to progress some related stuff in the meantime, people can peep the progress of some video-game specific soundtrack guidelines here: [User:Aerozol - MusicBrainz Wiki](https://wiki.musicbrainz.org/User:Aerozol#Video_Game_soundtracks)